Curried Chicken with Farro and Apple

Author Notes

Let's call it Jamaican jerk chicken meets New England in the fall. Spicy chicken and apple three ways: Calvados and hard cider for a rich and substantial sauce; fresh apples for a nice crunch. —Hi, I'm Brian.

Serves
4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons
curry powder

1 teaspoon
cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon
ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon
ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon
ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon
ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon
salt

1/4 teaspoon
ground coriander

4
boneless, skinless chicken breast

1/4 cup
olive oil

1/2 cup
butter

6
garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons
ginger, roughly chopped

1/2 cup
yellow onion, roughly chopped

3
Granny Smith apples, roughly chopped

1/4 cup
Calvados, or other apple brandy

16 ounces
hard cider

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 1/2 cups
farro

4 cups
chicken stock

salt and pepper, to taste

In This Recipe

Directions

Preheat oven to 450º.

Mix together the first 8 ingredients to make a spice mix. Rub the spice mix into your chicken breasts and set aside.

Place a large cast iron skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Add the olive oil.

Place the chicken breasts in the cast iron skillet and cook until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook another 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and place the cast iron skillet, with the chicken breast, into the oven until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

In a medium pot, place the farro and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, put the lid on, and cook until done, about 30 minutes.

When the chicken is cooked, move to a plate and cover with aluminum foil and set aside. Place the cast iron skillet back on the stove over medium high heat. Melt the butter.

Add the garlic and ginger. Cook until aromatic, about 1 minute.

Add the onions. Cook 3 minutes.

Add 2/3 of the apples. Cook until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes.

Add the Calvados and any chicken juices that have accumulated. Bring back to a simmer and add the cider. Bring back to a simmer and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 15 minutes. With a fork you can start to crush the apples.

Take off the heat and mix in the lemon zest and juice. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer.

By now the farro should be done. Combine with remaining apples and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the chicken breast atop a bed of farro with the sauce poured on top.